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So i was about to do all of the bases for my entire army (sand, pva, flock, etc... ). I had planned to do them all at once so they all looked the same. Then the 32mm bases came out and I put my plans on hold. I just painted them brown and still cant decide wether to switch or not...

I think the larger bases look better. But the smaller bases seem like they would be better in game. It seems like it would be way more difficult to hide a squad behind terrain with the larger bases.

My storage method will also be affected. I store them on a magnetic board that is sized for the smaller bases.

I really like the look but im not sure if its worth the work.

What are your thoughts? Does it affect game play very much? Does it really matter? I dunno...

Generally I find that the advantages balance the disadvantages when it come to base sizes. I’d not worry overmuch about them. I would at least try to be consistant on a squad by squad level, if not army wide.

I do like how marines look on the larger bases. If I didn’t have so many on old ones, I’d consider swapping up, just for looks.

I've based anything with a 3+ save on a 32mm.

They look better, they feel bulkier (even when they're not) and they fall over less frequently (looking at you Assault Marines!).

I'd say that the 32mm bases are definitely worth it, even if just from an aesthetic perspective.

With plastic bases, PVA, sand, and even a few cat litter 'stones' and a plastic skull or two I made my own 32 bases, then with silicon rubber I made a mould from those. Using 2-part resin to cast my own bases. This way I have a lot of bases, keeping it consistent throughout my Space Marines and Chaos Space Marines armies. Also, as the cast is a solid as opposed to the regular bases, there is a little more mass at the model's feet, making it less prone to fall over. Especially those dynamically posedf models such as Raptors and Jump Pack assault Marines.

32 mm bases make the models stand out more. If you already started using 25mm bases you can always get base extenders, that's what I've done and it saves time.

As long as you're consistent about it, it probably won't matter. But I would say 32 usually looks better.

32 suffers less wobbly model syndrome.

Jump marines gain alot from it.

I'm going to give you a horribly, horribly WAAC MFA answer. Get 25mm bases.

A blast template has a 3" diameter. An inch is 25.4 mm. A small base, however, is 25.0 mm. When your opponent centers a blast template on your model, and it scatters 2", the template has 1,5" (38.1 mm) sticking out towards the model, while the model has half a base (12.5 mm) sticking out towards the template. This totals 50.6 mm, which is 0.2 mm short of the required distance to score a hit. Getting 32 mm bases means your models will be hit by scatters 1" larger.

Brother Michael wrote:
I'm going to give you a horribly, horribly WAAC MFA answer. Get 25mm bases.

A blast template has a 3" diameter. An inch is 25.4 mm. A small base, however, is 25.0 mm. When your opponent centers a blast template on your model, and it scatters 2", the template has 1,5" (38.1 mm) sticking out towards the model, while the model has half a base (12.5 mm) sticking out towards the template. This totals 50.6 mm, which is 0.2 mm short of the required distance to score a hit. Getting 32 mm bases means your models will be hit by scatters 1" larger.

This is actually the opposite of how it normally works. Yes, a single model on a 32mm base will be hit more than a single model on a 25mm base, but how often are you shooting blast weapons at single models? When you have a whole unit the larger base size means you have fewer models per square inch and a lot more places where the blast hits one model but all adjacent models are outside the template. If you want to mitigate the damage of template weapons for multi-model units you always want to use the largest possible base.

 Peregrine wrote:
This is actually the opposite of how it normally works. Yes, a single model on a 32mm base will be hit more than a single model on a 25mm base, but how often are you shooting blast weapons at single models? When you have a whole unit the larger base size means you have fewer models per square inch and a lot more places where the blast hits one model but all adjacent models are outside the template. If you want to mitigate the damage of template weapons for multi-model units you always want to use the largest possible base.

It is true that an on-target 5" blast will hit three 25 mm based models at maximum coherency, but at most two 32 mm based models at maximum coherency. It then becomes a matter of in which position you are deployed in more often in games, which is so unpredictable you might as well just pick whatever you think looks better.

I might hijack this thread a little. Is there a rule/etiquette which dictates which base I'm meant to use?

Will people give me the stank face if I roll up with an army of marines with the smaller bases or a combination of the two?

I believe the current rules say you can put them on whichever you choose. I think the old rule said to put them on the base they are purchased with.
All my marines came on 25mm bases but the new boxes of the same marines come on 32mm so by either rule set you could put them on either really.

Interesting points about blast templates. I was wondering about that.

Have any of you run into a situation on the table where you actually regretted using the larger bases?

 Blackhair Duckshape wrote:
I might hijack this thread a little. Is there a rule/etiquette which dictates which base I'm meant to use?

Will people give me the stank face if I roll up with an army of marines with the smaller bases or a combination of the two?

GW consistently says that you play the model with the bases that were supplied with it. This means its completely possible to see the really old terminators on 25mm bases, or even IG weapon teams that are based individually. It looks better to update them usually, but even GW aren't that evil.


I will say 32mm is better in every way. Looks better, is more solid, and makes the marines actually look bigger, which really helps them look properly sized next to guardsmen. I could never go back to 25mm after having 32mm, to the point where I'm selling off some marines soon specifically because I can't remove them from their 25mm bases.

25mm for me. 32mm takes too much space from table thus reducing movement area thus reducing movement options thus dulling down the game.

I use 32mm, just looks so much better.
In terms of gameplay, if you're getting blown up a lot bigger is better, if you're getting shot a lot smaller is better.
But differences are minor and far between. No ones going to hate you for using reasonable base sizes, just don't go putting Knights on 25mm or anything.
I like rule 1 base 1 model, so no 2 base MCs or split weapons teams. I like the idea of using bike sized or ideally a 25x50mm base of that shape, like 2 25mm bases combined, but still a single entity. No confusion.

I started a SW army a year ago, so all my infantry wolves have 32mm bases and they look very cool. Also SM are not an hordes army so you won't have real issues in terms of movement/deployement or storage, with the same amount of points my orks still occupy much more space than SW, even if they all have a 25mm base. The only disadvantage in the game could be if a unit is embarked in a vehicle that is wrecked in close combat by a surrounding enemy unit. Larger bases means less models to place after the vehicle is destroyed so you would have more casualties. But i only use drop pods and a stormwolf so i won't have that problem.

"Rule of Cool" or "I must win with plastic toy soldiers"?

Once you say

I think the larger bases look better. But the smaller bases seem like they would be better in game. It seems like it would be way more difficult to hide a squad behind terrain with the larger bases.

you are modelling for advantage now.

All I can say is someone who has to cheat or the very worst, "bend the rules" because it's "legal" speaks more of your character than anything else.

 Peregrine wrote:

Brother Michael wrote:
I'm going to give you a horribly, horribly WAAC MFA answer. Get 25mm bases.

A blast template has a 3" diameter. An inch is 25.4 mm. A small base, however, is 25.0 mm. When your opponent centers a blast template on your model, and it scatters 2", the template has 1,5" (38.1 mm) sticking out towards the model, while the model has half a base (12.5 mm) sticking out towards the template. This totals 50.6 mm, which is 0.2 mm short of the required distance to score a hit. Getting 32 mm bases means your models will be hit by scatters 1" larger.

This is actually the opposite of how it normally works. Yes, a single model on a 32mm base will be hit more than a single model on a 25mm base, but how often are you shooting blast weapons at single models? When you have a whole unit the larger base size means you have fewer models per square inch and a lot more places where the blast hits one model but all adjacent models are outside the template. If you want to mitigate the damage of template weapons for multi-model units you always want to use the largest possible base.

It's kind of both.
The smaller bases will allow more to be hit by blasts that manage a direct hit (or small scatter)
But they are more likely to be missed completely as well (as they don't have to scatter as far to miss the unit completely)

How about larger minis? Could I base say, a soul grinder on a 120mm oval base?
(Just so it's not the only square base in the army)

One of the problems is, that even GW isn't consistent as far as same base size within an army.

Look at Traitor Legions. Page 57, image of The Chosen Of Abaddon. The Chaos Lord on a 32mm base (which mine wasn't supplied with), and the Chosen models on 25mm slottabases (which they were supplied with). Page 63, the Black Legion Warband. Also a mix-and-match of 25mm and 32mm, some of which were supplied with the models, and others which are now, but weren't when I bought them.

Another example? Sure, why not.

The Astra Militarum codex. In it, there are several images of their newly painted Cadian army, for the purposes of the codex. There are two photos which clearly show a Cadian infantry model with a missile launcher. On his own 25mm round base. There is always another infantry model near that one. It carries a big missile. That model is on its own 25mm round base as well. These are likely to represent a Heavy Weapons Team. But not on a single 60mm round base.

As far as "you are supposed to use the bases supplied with the models" is concerned...
I bought models to be used as an Astra Militarum Infantry Platoon. I custom ordered the legs from one company (them being male legs with kilts), the torsos and arms/weapons from Ebay as single bits (though they were GW-produced), and the heads from yet another manufacturer because I liked their 'Scottish heads' better than those from the company that sold me the kilted legs. As I didn't get a single ready-to-go box in a store, I didn't get any bases at all. For my regular Cadians, I bought almost all of them as 10-man Infantry Squad boxes, and ordered separate heavy weapons to turn any squad box into a potential 5 heavy weapon teams... with interchangeable heavy weapons. These boxes were only supplied with standard 25mm round bases. It's consistent throughout the army. It's compliant to the rules. Each model is on a base of comparable size (even the same size, actually) as others of its type (being 'Infantry'). I did, however, take a 60mm round base, added clay and model sandbags, and two 26mm holes, a contraption from which I created a rubber mould to make resin casts. This gave me an ample amount of 60mm scenic bases on which I can put my heavy weapons teams, allowing me to remove a single model from it as some sort of Wound marker. But I'll be damned before I glue my heavy weapons teams to a single 60mm base just because a random opponent might get a fit over heavy weapons teams models on 25mm bases (and the rule for heavy weapons teams does still say they "count as" one model, not that they "are a single model"). The next codex might change this, for all we know, back to heavy weapons teams with loader and firer on single bases. The newly painted army in the current codex seems ready for this shift.

Big, bad Rulebook (The Rules) page 9:
"Models and Base Sizes. The rules in this book assume that models are mounted on the base they are supplied with. Sometimes, a player may have models in his collection on unusually modelled bases. Some models aren't supplied with a base at all. In these cases (which are, in all fairness, relatively far between), you should always feel free to mount the model on a bas of appropriate size if you wish, using models of a similar type as guidance."
The GW Website doesn't offer any current erratum or amendment on this specific rule about bases, in its 2017 Errata document.

That ranting done, I feel like the rules shouldn't mix references about bases and models so freely. One rule measures 'from the base', while the next rule mentions the 'muzzle of the gun'. I have seen Rhino APC models with an oval base underneath it. With base extenders and the likes smaller bases can be 'increased'to the next size. I myself think of cutting up those 75x52mm bike bases so they are more like 32x25mm (sort of small oval) and mounting my Hormagaunts on them, as those are very, very, front-heavy and they tend to fall over a lot. As far as this isn't solved by solid 25mm resin bases as they are heavier than the normal 25mm slottas, which are hollow.

As such, your entire army might be on an appropriately sized base. Even a Rhino, as no base is supplied with that. Or a Soul Grinder. Just for the heck of it, what would be an appropriate base size for a Forge World Warlord Titan?

 Kellevil wrote:
Have any of you run into a situation on the table where you actually regretted using the larger bases?

Close. There have been times I was glad I was on smaller bases.

I never re-based my terminators to 40mm. They are still on the small 1” bases they came with. For deep striking, this gives the unit a significantly smaller footprint. When I’m feeling aggressive, I can drop them into tight spots with less worry. I recall one game where I noticed the difference; if I was on larger bases, I would have mishaped.

On the flip side, you can fit the whole squad under a small bast/end of a template, which has bitten me in the past.